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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. mine — for digging
  3. drill — a practice
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bass — the fish
  6. land — a country
  7. perch — the fish
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. drill — the tool
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bass — low music
  14. drill — army training
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. land — ground
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pitch — completely
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. land — to come down
  24. nail — on a finger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com